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Brantwood School to close its doors in its 90th year By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 11 · Thursday, June 24, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com An Oakville school that is in its 90th year is also in its last. Brantwood Public School in southeast Oakville is holding its final classes this month as it is set for closure at the end of the school year. The aged and storied school is one of three schools in the area that were chosen by the Halton District School Board for closure due to a changing demographic in the area. "The children have had fun here and they enjoy going to school here, so it's a big change for them," said Brantwood vice-principal and head administrator Louanne Henderson. "But they are all going together." Brantwood students will attend New Central Public School next year. When the school opened in 1920, then called Allan Street School, it had only two classes to accommodate the children of the young Brantwood subdivision and a year later two more classes were added. Over the years, the school building has grown to two floors to accommodate several hundred students. But if you ask the people at the school, it's not the building that counts, but the people inside it. "Schools aren't just a building. They add more to the community than that," said Mary McKenzie, the school council chair. Part 1 of 3 "It's a very close-knit community," Henderson added. "The children know each other well, the families know each other well." The school itself does have a lot of history. During the Second World War, Brantwood staff and students did their part to assist the war effort. The school raised funds for the HMCS Oakville and the Christmas Fund for the navy. Students also bought war savings stamps and contributions were made to the Red Cross. Furthermore, the alumni of the school served in the war. "There are several alumni from this school who were killed in the war," Henderson said. "When we had done our musical, our Grade 5 students did a scene about what was happening here with the students to support the war effort." She also added that when the school held its farewell open house, some of the students who were at the school during the war years came out to say their goodbyes to the school. The open house attracted some 200 of the school's alumni, including a man in his 90s who went to the school in the late 1920s. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER CLOSING FOR GOOD: Brantwood Public School will close this June 2010 after 90 years. The school was also a place of learning for some people who became quite well known. Famed pianist, vibraphonist and composer Hagood Hardy attended the school sometime in the 40s. He had many musical achievements and awards and wrote the musical scores for feature films and the TV show Anne of Green Gables for which he won a Gemini award. He was also named a member of the Order of Canada. "He came to our 75th anniversary. He's since died. He played the piano at the 75th anniversary," Henderson said. "When you look through the old registers you do see names of some of the key families," she See Closure page 13 Oakville Generating Station Meeting and Exceeding Environmental Standards 1.866.317.9887 oakville@transcanada.com www.transcanada.com/oakville View of Oakville Generating Station from Royal Windsor Drive